If you had....

[Vegas-guy]

25k to 30k to "invest" in card/cards what do you think is better?

1. Maybe a low grade T206 Plank?
2. A few high grade HOF's (Cobb, Johnson, Young) etc
3. Mid grade '52 Mantle?
4. '33 Goudey Nap Lajoie #106?
5. Other?

Remember only for "investment" take the collecting out of it.
Not that I have 25k to put into a card but ever since I sold off my collection and bought a house (what a pile of crap that turned out to be) I've always wondered if I had the money again what I should do with it???? Most people say stocks, 401k etc. but that didn't do much better!
It seems (at least over the last 10 years) that rare/high grade cards have done way better than houses and the stock market. What are your thoughts???
Thanks,
Reg

[kneerat]

Hello,

I don't think you can go wrong with a Plank. That, by far one of the most sought after cards in the hobby. If the price is right, I would buy the Plank.

[36GoudeyMan]

Investing carries with it the necessary requirement of liquidity. I don't see high liquidity in relatively "obscure" rarities such as a T206 Plank. The iniverse of subsequent buyers is small compared to a later, more well-known card/player. I don't think you will ever lose money or have a hard time finding buyers for upper grade (not a PSA 10, but solid 8s or 8.5s) of pre-WWII HOFers, especially Gehrig and Foxx. These are not out of reach for high-grade collectors, and there are established, oft-traded markets for these cards. Mid-grade Mantle, even a 52, can be more volatile than the pre-WWII HOFers, in my view.

If you need an ROI on your $25K that is vastly above what careful investing in the market can provide, cards may not be the right place in the first place. But if a 5-10% return is acceptable currently, with the prospect of muchmore but not with a risk of too much less, I think high-ish pre-WWII HOFers is a good place to be. I think its especially true where the market's been depressed (have to wait to get that ROI back up after the last 3 years) and solid buys can be had.

[sportscardpete]

If it was discretionary money I wouldn't worry about "liquidity". I'd probably get a t206 plank and put it in under my mattress for a few years =).

[Leon]

I would probably go with top tier HOF'ers from the most collected sets...and try to get the best looking cards I could but probably not the highest technical grades. I have always thought the grade of "6" is a pretty good combination of value and aesthetics for the money. Personally, I like even lower grade cards that have great eye appeal. Just some random thoughts ....

[Piratedogcardshows]

I would go with the Plank as well.

[taborton101]

I'd probably try to go for a nice grade 5.5 or 6 Mantle ('52)...might be personal bias because I happen to love that card, but I'd say you can't really go wrong with it...truly iconic card that even non-collectors will recognize, and I think if you had to sell it/liquidate in a hurry, you'd find more buyers than for the Plank (which I think is more of a niche' card for T206/tobacco collectors only...although there are lots of them out there too (including myself ))